Dale Center for the Study of War and Society

The Dale Center: Center of Military History Excellence

As one of the top military history programs in the country, the Dale Center for the
Study of War & Society houses a distinguished academic community with expertise in
how conflict affects communities, soldiers, and non-combatants. The Dale Center expands
on the field of military history, with its traditional focus on leaders, strategies,
and operations, and seeks to identify and understand the social and cultural consequences
of war. The Dale Center has earned a reputation as a center of excellence, with its
faculty members recognized among the best scholars in the field and its students as
noteworthy future scholars.

Dale Center Signature Events and Programs

The Dale Center hosts a number of important academic and community events throughout
the year that bring together scholars, students, and community members around topics
dealing with military history and War and Society. In addition, the Center promotes
cutting-edge scholarship in the field of war and society.

The Lt. Col. John H. Dale Sr. Distinguished Lecture Series in International Security
and Global Policy honors the late Lieutenant Colonel John H. Dale, Sr., a career member
of the military who served in World War II and the Korean War and earned the Bronze
Star. He graduated with a Master of Science degree from the University of Southern
Mississippi and later served as Professor of Military Studies for the university’s
Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. The lecture series is made possible
through a generous donation by Southern Miss alumna Dr. Beverly Dale, Lt. Col. Dale’s
daughter.

The lecture series brings internationally prominent figures in International Security
and Global Policy to Hattiesburg to give their assessment of the state of foreign
and military affairs. Former speakers include General David Petraeus (US Army Ret.),
former Commander, US Central Command and former Director of the CIA; Dr. Robert M.
Gates, former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director, Dr. Madeline Albright; and Ambassador
Wyche Fowler, the former U. S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

The Richard McCarthy Lecture Series was founded in 2006 through the generous support of Dr. Richard McCarthy and Dr.
Craig Howard and is designed to bring together students, faculty, and community members
to access cutting edge research in the field of military history and War and Society.

Over the years, the McCarthy Lecture Series has provided the campus and Hattiesburg
communities a broad range of programming, ranging from a panel discussion led by veterans
of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to more academic programs including talks by leading
historians of War and Society and military history, such as Sebastian Junger, Jeremy
Black, Dennis Showalter, Gary Sheffield, Jeffrey Gray, Brian Linn, Wayne Lee, and
John Lynn, just to name a few.

The General Buford “Buff” Blount Professorship in Military History was founded in honor of General Buford “Buff” Blount, who graduated from the University
of Southern Mississippi in 1971 and went on to a distinguished career in the U.S.
military, which included leading the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division into Baghdad in 2003.

The Blount Professorship is awarded biennially to provide funding for the work of
a historian at Southern Miss who is engaged in research toward the publication of
a major study in the field of military history or war and society. Several books
have been made possible through the support of the Blount Professorship.

The 103d Infantry Division (Cactus) was activated on November 15, 1942 and served
in the Eastern Theater of World War II until their deactivation on September 22, 1945.
The members of the 103d Infantry Division (Cactus) Association endeavor to honor the
memory of all who were killed in action, wounded, and died since the end of World
War II.

The War & Society Roundtable, a joint community and university monthly reading group, has been in existence since
2006. Sponsored jointly by Southern Miss’s Dale Center for the Study of War & Society
and the Library of Hattiesburg, Petal, and Forrest County, the Roundtable focuses
on a different war and society book each month of the academic year.

A friendly but spirited discussion about the book is moderated by a History faculty
member or graduate student from Southern Miss. The Roundtable is a great way for community
members, faculty, and students to interact while exploring topics of mutual interest.

Dale Center faculty, former faculty, graduate students, alumni, and friends at the
Society for Military History's annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio in 2019.